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Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

Butler or Michigan. I'm really hoping for Elijah Brown, Mike Brown's son, as well for 2013. He's overshadowed by the other stars on Mater Dei but he seems to be like a great scorer. Him and Bluiett would make a nice pair of wings.

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

St. Joe's was picked to win the A10 preseason? Never would have guessed that.

I'm still not sure why. Granted Butler has been much better than anticipated. The same applies to VCU. But even a few of the incumbent A-10 teams seem to have a better case. Of course, 6 teams received 1st place votes so it was preceived (probably correctly) as pretty wide open.

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

Butler is looking like at least a Sweet 16 team yet again. If they don't have any injuries I'd be shocked if they didn't make it at least that far. Also, I can't wait until they get Xavier again. That team has been playing like **** lately. If they played that game 10 more times right now, Butler would win all 10 of them. BTW, anyone planning on going to Hinkle for the Gonzaga game on the 19th? If Butler wins the next two and some ahead of them lose that could be a top 10 matchup at Hinkle.

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

I think winner of Butler vs. Gonzaga has a great chance of landing a 2 in the tournament.

I'll take that bet. This group looks like fairly safe bets for a 1 or 2 seed: Louisville, Indiana, Kansas, Syracuse, Duke, Michigan. There's six teams. Arizona is a paper tiger imo, but they are right there. Florida is right there. Just not sure they have the overall body of work to warrant a 2 seed. How often do mid majors get 1 or 2 seeds? St. Joe's did that one year they went undefeated deep into the season.

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

I'll take that bet. This group looks like fairly safe bets for a 1 or 2 seed: Louisville, Indiana, Kansas, Syracuse, Duke, Michigan. There's six teams. Arizona is a paper tiger imo, but they are right there. Florida is right there. Just not sure they have the overall body of work to warrant a 2 seed. How often do mid majors get 1 or 2 seeds? St. Joe's did that one year they went undefeated deep into the season.

I think A-10 has a different rep than when St. Joe's went unbeaten. Let's look at top of A-10 now, you've got Butler, SLU, VCU, Xavier, Charlotte, Temple. I mean is the A-10 worse than the SEC? Probably not. Butler also has the IU win to hang their hat on.

Gonzaga has been a media darling and favorite all year which helps. I think there are 5 teams who can get 1 seeds, IU, Mich, Duke, Louisville, KU. Cuse isn't going to IMO, especially if Southerland misses time. SEC is way too crappy to get a 1 seed this year. I'm not even sure Zona will be a 2 by the time the season ends. Let's say Butler beats Gonzaga and then only loses 1 or 2 games in the A-10, I think they would have a great shot. Just like if Gonzaga beats Butler and then only loses 1 or 2 games in the WCC they would also have a great shot.

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

I think A-10 has a different rep than when St. Joe's went unbeaten. Let's look at top of A-10 now, you've got Butler, SLU, VCU, Xavier, Charlotte, Temple. I mean is the A-10 worse than the SEC? Probably not. Butler also has the IU win to hang their hat on.

Gonzaga has been a media darling and favorite all year which helps. I think there are 5 teams who can get 1 seeds, IU, Mich, Duke, Louisville, KU. Cuse isn't going to IMO, especially if Southerland misses time. SEC is way too crappy to get a 1 seed this year. I'm not even sure Zona will be a 2 by the time the season ends. Let's say Butler beats Gonzaga and then only loses 1 or 2 games in the A-10, I think they would have a great shot. Just like if Gonzaga beats Butler and then only loses 1 or 2 games in the WCC they would also have a great shot.

I agree that they both have an excellent shot at a 2 seed, I just think they will each slip up against a weaker conference opponent once or twice at least. We'll see. Two very, very good teams.

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

If the season ended right now, would this 14-2 Butler team have a better NCAA resume than 15-1 IU?

Butler is IU's only loss, but Butler also has, more road wins, more wins versus ranked teams, and has played a much, much tougher schedule, and of course that head-to-head victory on a "neutral" court.

Butler is a legit Final Four threat, again this season. That is nothing short of amazing.

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

I dunno probably, but as we all know IU's hay will be made or lost in the conference schedule.

That being said, Digger Phelps predicted a final four of IU, Butler, Michigan and Louisville the other day. Digger is kind of crazy, but still pretty amazing I didn't spit all over my PC screen. So much talent in the midwest right now.

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Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

It's hard for me not to think the A-10 should get full BCS conference level appreciation from the selection committee this season. Outside of the B1G and the Big East is there a league out there that is clearly better overall than the A-10? Maybe the Big 12? Kansas is elite and K-State is petty good. Maybe the ACC? It gets pretty bare after Duke and NC State. The SEC is way down right now outside of Florida and Missouri. The Pac-12 has Arizona, which seems like mostly smoke and mirrors to me, Oregon who is alright, and UCLA who is certainly trending up. Is it better? It seems like after the top tier of the B1G and Big East, the A-10 is right there.

Butler is in the midst of a pretty brutal 7 game stretch to open conference play. I'd be lying if I said I thought they'd get through road games at St. Joe's and Dayton unscathed. (Seriously, why haven't Dayton and Butler played every year regardless of conference affiliation? It seems like such a natural matchup for a variety of reasons.) They should get a win this at home with a middling Richmond team but playing without Clarke could make it tougher than it should be as well as the very real possibility that they're looking ahead to College Gameday and Gonzaga. And huge kudos to Mark Few and Brad Stevens for signing up for such a game in the middle of January. Following that up with a trip to LaSalle, home against Temple, and at St. Louis is pretty ridiculous. If they could go 3-2 in the next 5 games and be 5-2 over this 7 game stretch, I'd be very impressed. They get a bit of a reprieve in February so there seems to be a pretty good shot that they get to March as the favorite to win the regular season conference title and that ought to put them squarely in the mix for a 2-3 seed in my opinion.

While the winner of the Butler/Gonzaga game may have the inside track at this point for a 2 seed, the game which really may place a winner on that line is Butler @ VCU on March 2nd. VCU is playing great baskeball right now and has a relatively easy conference schedule before a pretty ferocious 5 game stretch to end the year. If both teams come into that game with 4 or fewer losses, which seems very possible, the winner should get at least a 3 seed.

Last edited by BRushWithDeath; 01-14-2013 at 04:27 PM.
Reason: Totally forgot Mizzou was in the SEC and not the Big XII

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

That being said, Digger Phelps predicted a final four of IU, Butler, Michigan and Louisville the other day. Digger is kind of crazy, but still pretty amazing I didn't spit all over my PC screen. So much talent in the midwest right now.

If this happens, they should retroactively move the 2013 Final Four to Indianapolis. Just give New Orleans Atlanta 2015 and call it a deal.

Could you imagine how much fun that would be?

Last edited by BRushWithDeath; 01-14-2013 at 05:11 PM.
Reason: I'm an idiot

Re: 2012-2013 Butler Basketball

Nope, Butler can be placed there as well. Don't know that it's ever happened before, but I'm guessing it has. I wonder if while it is not a specfific rule that I'm aware of but more of an unspoken thing. It has really made it hard on the comittee that the west is so weak. It looks like yet again an east coast or midwest team is going to have to play the 1 out of the west bracket. Which is really what you want to avoid.